INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists sends its condolences to the family and friends of Ben Bradlee, former executive editor of the Washington Post, who died today at the age of 93.

“Our thoughts are with Ben’s wife and their family, during this sad time,” said SPJ President Dana Neuts. “Ben was the epitome of what a journalist should be. He ranks as one of the greatest American newspaper editors of our time, and will be missed by many friends, colleagues and the journalism profession as a whole.”

Bradlee oversaw Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward’s coverage of the Watergate scandal as executive editor of the Post in the early 1970s and pushed the government for the right to publish the Pentagon Papers. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, by President Barack Obama in Nov. 2013.

Bradlee was a lifetime member of SPJ and was named a Fellow of the Society in 1973. He, along with Woodward and Bernstein, spoke to about 700 journalists as special guests during SPJ’s national convention in 2007 in Washington, D.C.

Sally Quinn, Bradlee’s wife, recently told C-SPAN that his health had been declining in recent weeks and he had been in Hospice care.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information about SPJ, please visit spj.org.